Opinions on moving across the border to find a job

Visas, Permits, Passports and Naturalization
1
Hello,

I work for an international organization in Geneva, and currently live in France across the border with my partner. We have a PACS in France and we're both EU citizens.

She's looking for a job but can't find any, so we're thinking of moving to Switzerland where she would get a permit, in hope to have slightly higher chances. The downside will be more than doubling our rent and my commute time each day, so I have a few questions to help us make the right choice.

1) First of all, will it make any difference in your opinion? I know that on paper EU citizens have the same chances as the Swiss at a job, regardless of whether they reside in Switzerland or are frontaliers. But it seems reality is different, with some companies favoring residents who already have a permit over frontaliers. Do you have any experience with this? Do you think it would help, or it will be very hard to find a job regardless?

2) If I understood correctly, if we moved, she could choose between a CDL/Ci permit (once she has a job) or the B permit directly (regardless of having a contract). Can someone confirm this? Do you think the B permit would be better, given that with the Ci there is the extra step of going from the attestation to the actual permit?

3) Finally, do you know if the French PACS would be recognised also in Switerland? My organization confirmed that, from their point of view, the PACS will be valid regardless of where we live, but I'm not sure about the Canton. This is less important because we could as well just register the same kind of partnership in Geneva I guess.

I have read all the threads I could find on the subject, but still can't decide what's best, so any opinion or suggestion you have will be much appreciated. Basically, is it worth it spending more time and money in Switzerland for a bet that having a permit will help in finding a job, or are we better off staying where we are, save money and accept that for her it's going to be very hard in any case?

Thank you very much.

2

As a EU frontalier, I don't think the type of permit would make too much difference, but whether she has a set of sought-after skills. It's a really difficult environment right now re white-collar office jobs if one is job-hunting and doesn't have what employers are looking for. We're getting literally hundreds of CV from really qualified candidates even for analyst type of jobs. Competition is absolutely fierce.

3

  1. Swiss employers are encouraged to employ people who already live here so yes, they will probably be ahead of her in any job queue.

  2. I don’t know about choosing between CDL/Ci, but if she gets a job here it’ll be either an L or a B permit - the others aren’t valid for work here unless they’re for NGO’s.

  3. Is the partnership same sex or not?

" Maintaining a registered partnership or converting it into marriage
In Switzerland, only same-sex couples have always been able to enter into a registered partnership. Since 1 July 2022, two people of the same sex can no longer enter into a registered partnership. This is because they now have the possibility to marry.

If you entered into a registered partnership before this date, you can decide to keep your registered partnership.

If you want to convert your registered partnership into a marriage, you can do so at any civil register office in Switzerland or at a Swiss representation abroad.

Please note: The legal differences between a registered partnership and marriage mainly concern naturalisation, adoption and reproductive medicine. Only married couples benefit from facilitated naturalisation, joint adoption and access to reproductive medicine."

https://www.ch.ch/en/family-and-part…-into-marriage

If opposite sex then there’s no such thing as a registered partnership here.

4

  1. No, the Ci permit allows to work anywhere, not only at NGOs. You get a CDL and an attestation saying that you’re entitled to the Ci permit. Once you find a job, you exchange the CDL for the actual Ci permit. So there is this extra step, that’s why I was wondering if the B permit directly would be better. ( https://www.eda.admin.ch/content/dam…anentes_EN.pdf section 2.4)

  2. We’re opposite sex, but I thought this would do it: https://www.geneve.ch/fr/themes/civi…tonal-genevois

5

Then the permit change must be recent because as far as I know from reading posts here the Ci permit has to be given up if you get a job that isn’t at an NGO.

  1. They seem to contradict each other. ch.ch says it isn’t possible any more to recognise civil partnerships while Geneva says it is.
6
In any case, let's say we clear up this matters on Ci vs B and partnership. What's your opinion on the original question? Worth the move or not?

7

How long is a piece of string? My opinion - don’t move without more information and certainty. It’s a big risk and expense for an unknown potential reward.

As an EU citizen, your other half should be able to apply for a G permit should she find a job. No need to move in that case.

I’d focus more effort on the job search - what isn’t working, what could be changed, etc. Ask yourselves what skills she has to offer. Does she speak French to a decent level? Could she also get a job at the UN or an NGO? If she’s applying for Swiss jobs, is she tailoring her letters and CVs to the Swiss style? How many applications vs. interviews? (you don’t have to answer me, these questions are for you to ask yourselves)

The CERN website seems to confirm that she could request a B permit if you moved here. I have no idea whether that actually improves her chances to get a job. I wouldn’t think it makes a huge difference. She’s an EU citizen, so whether or not she has a Ci or a B shouldn’t matter to an employer.

8
The one thing you don't seem to be asking is what the market conditions are for her particular skill set and what efforts she has made so far. That would be rather critical in answering your question.